The present invention is directed exercisers, and more particularly to exercisers which may be used in the performance of a wide variety of exercise routines for exercising a number of different muscles or muscle groups in the human body.
Numerous exerciser devices, assemblies and routines are known for use in the exercise and development of various muscles or muscle groups of the human body. However, these various exercisers and exercising routines of which they are capable of performing suffer a number of limitations and disadvantages.
One disadvantage which is common to many of the previously known exercisers is that they are useful in only one or at best a few exercise routines, and they are capable of exercising and developing only a limited number of muscles or muscle groups. For example, chest expanders which comprise one or more springs with hand grips at each end have only typically been used for one exercise and to develop only one group of muscles, the chest and arm muscles. These chest expanders are incapable of use in most other exercises, either due to the fact that the hand grips are not configured to be comfortably and securely received by other parts of the body or, due to their specific purpose and design, the springs are only capable of limited elongation to function for the purpose for which they were designed, i.e. to exercise the chest and arm muscles.
Other forms of exercisers have also been known which have resilient stretchable elements or springs and some form of grip at one end which is configured only to receive the hand or hands of the person exercising and not the feet of that person. As a result, even though such exercisers may be capable of use in several different exercise routines, the routines are generally limited both in the number of exercises which may be performed, as well as the muscles or muscle groups which may be exercised.
A few exercisers have been known which employ some form of flexible loop member or members for receiving or engaging either the hand and/or the foot of the person exercising, and which are attachable to a spring or other resilient stretchable element for performing several exercise routines. However, these flexible loops usually include handles of some sort, which may or may not be cushioned, but in which the loop will not readily and comfortably conform to or grip the hand or foot of the user. Moreover, even though these loops may be generally flexible, they are not stretchable during the exercise routine to grip and better conform to the hand or foot of the user. Also some of these exercisers attach to the user's ankle or knee, rather than to the arch of the foot. This is disadvantageous because the ankle and knee are some of the structurally weakest parts of the body, whereas the arch of the foot is one of the strongest. Thus, the likelihood of injury in these ankle or knee connecting exercisers is substantially increased.
Finally, a few exercisers are known which do utilize flexible endless loops which are also stretchable. However, some of these loops are the only resistance element of the exerciser without any additional springs or other resilient stretchable elements. This results in a substantial reduction of the number of exercise routines that may be accomplished, as well as the number of muscles or muscle groups that may be exercised. Even where such exercisers include a resilient stretchable element attached to the loop, the loop is not capable of receiving the foot of the user, is uncomfortable and difficult to grip in use, and may become slippery from perspiration.